Cheesy Penne

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh penne pasta
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces aged English white Cheddar, grated
Kosher salt
Fresh finely ground black peppercorns

Directions:

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta, cook until al dente, and drain. Return pasta to the saucepan.

Whisk milk with Dijon in small bowl and add to the pot with cooked pasta, along with cream and grated Cheddar. Stir over medium-low heat until the cheese melts and the mixture is nice and thick. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve. Happy indulging!

This recipe was okay, I tend to under season more than over season dishes. I thought I put a lot of salt, but after finally sitting down to eat, there wasn't enough. It was very cheesy to me either. It was a sticky mess and not creamy how I like it. M said is was "okay".

Eggplant Gratin

Ingredients:

Good olive oil, for frying
3/4 pound eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good bottled marinara sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. In each of 2 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.

I loved this dish, M wouldn't even try it because it looked weird to him, so more for me! I made this in a square 8 x 8 pan instead of individual dishes. Also, the eggplant soaks up a lot of oil when you fry it, so you may have to add a little more.

Romano mashed potatoes

Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes, cut, boiled and mashed
3/4 stick butter
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3/4 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whip together the potatoes, butter, Romano cheese, milk, salt, pepper and sour cream.

It tasted pretty good we ate ours with ham. It has a slightly sharp and tangy but still tasted good.

Cranberry-Orange Conserve

Ingredients:

1 quart unfiltered cranberry juice (This was hard to find in a regular store, Ocean spray is fine)
1/4 cup apple cider
1 cup sugar
Peel of 1 orange, cut in large strips
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 bay leaves
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pound fresh cranberries

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine cranberry juice, apple cider, sugar, orange peel, ginger and bay leaves. Simmer until the mixture is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Add the nuts, vinegar and cranberries. Continue to cook until the cranberries burst, about 15 minutes.

I like this recipe, I had to cook it longer than 15 minutes at the end though. I also needed to add about 1/3 cup of sugar because it was very tart. This is a delish choice over the canned cranberry sauce and simple to make.

Southern Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:

Cornbread: recipe follows
7 slices oven-dried white bread
1 sleeve saltine crackers
8 tablespoons butter
2 cups celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
7 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sage (optional)
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (optional)
5 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine crumbled cornbread, dried white bread slices, and saltines; set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over cornbread mixture. Add the stock, mix well, taste, and add salt, pepper to taste, sage, and poultry seasoning. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Reserve 2 heaping tablespoons of this mixture for the giblet gravy. Pour mixture into a greased pan and bake until dressing is cooked through, about 45 minutes.

Cornbread:

1 cup self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour (If you don't have this, it's okay)
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

I like this dressing a lot, lots of flavor and I do use the poultry seasoning. I wouldn't put less than a tbl of the seasoning if you use it. I let the stuffing stay in a few mins longer because I didn't want it too mushy.

Sauted Garlic Green Beans

Ingredients:

1 handful of cleaned green beans (chop off the ends)
1 tbls chopped garlic
1 tbls olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat, add chopped garlic and saute for a min or two. Make sure not to burn the garlic, if it is too hot turn it down a little. Add green beans and cover. Stir occasionally until the beans are a little tender (or you can keep them crisp if you like that). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy.

M and I love to make the greens tender, we think it holds more flavor.

Orzo with Chick Peas

Ingredients:

Salt
1/2 pound orzo
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small to medium zucchini, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can chick peas, drained
1/2 cup parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup feta or goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook to al dente.
Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet, add zucchini, onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook 6 to 7 minutes until tender, add chick peas and heat through. Toss with herbs, orzo and cheese, adjust salt and pepper and serve.

This dish had wonderful flavor. I used a little extra zucchini and feta cheese.

Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients:

1 (3-pound) head cauliflower, cut into large florets
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, and the Parmesan.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

This dish is DELISH! I could not help myself from having seconds, it tasted so good. I bought the Gruyere cheese at Wal-mart and when I saw the price on the little shelf it said $15. I looks like it was no more than 6 slices of wrapped cheese but I still wanted to make sure I used what it called for. The taste is a little different but I love it. This makes a wonderful side dish.